Thursday, December 5, 2013

"Everything is going to be OKAY"

It's that
time of the year when Red Starbucks cups are the most common accessory. It's that
time of year when you enter the ZSR when the shine is shining and leave close
to sunrise while double fisting diet coke and espresso all night. It’s the most
stressful time of the year when we all make promises to ourselves about better
study habits next semester.

Here’s a list of friendly reminders to keep sane during the
insanity that is finals week:

1)From the wise words of Kid
President, “Everything is going to be okay”. Right now, it seems like this one
grade is going to make us or break us. A common thing that a lot of us forget
about (myself included), is that this one grade won’t matter in a month. We’ll
have moved on to new classes and our priorities will have shifted. Although
these grades do matter and are important, don’t forget about your health (both
physically and mentally)! Take a break to read a book, watch a movie, take a
trip to miller, have a pit sit with your sisters (Stress-eating makes everyone
feel better), or just take a nap and recharge. Honestly, everything will work
out fine in the end. Don’t take this mantra as a reason not to study, but
rather as a reason to not over study and to know when enough is enough, like
when you start drinking that fourth venti coffee (I’m guilty!).

2)Focus on the positive,
whether the positives from the semester or what you have to look forward to
after finals (home cooked meals and shoeless showers). This will make everyone
much happier and relieve the stress as a result of “Work Forest”. A positive
aspect of finals week, we survived another semester and now get a month long
break to recharge before recruitment (and also to learn all the songs/chants!).
Another positive of finals week, calories don’t count and diets don’t matter.
Another positive of finals week, being done with more divisionals and classes
that don’t interest you (never having to run a mile and a half for a grade EVER
AGAIN). These are usually things that marathon
study sessions in the ZSR don’t highlight about finals week, but they make
finals week a little more bearable. Often times, the positives outweigh the
negatives and if you can focus on the positives then the stress of finals weeks
seems a little easier to bear.

3)Sisters are the best support system! Lean on a
sister when stressed out for a listening ear, a study partner, or just someone
to goof off with and relax. I’m here for anyone who needs anything at any point
during the week (and at any time outside of finals week), and I think that a
majority of our sisters feel the same way. Misey loves company, and that’s what
sisters are for! It’s reassuring to know that everyone is feeling the same way
and going through the same things. Don’t be afraid to reach out to a sister in
a class and study together, talking through information is a great study tool
and quizzing each other is even better!